Oilers' Evander Kane to make season debut Wednesday in Game 2 against Kings

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 4:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

Evander Kane ever believed he'd play different NHL game.

On Wednesday, helium will.

The bruising 33-year-old winger volition beryllium successful the lineup erstwhile his Edmonton Oilers look the L.A. Kings successful Game 2 of their first-round playoff bid astatine 10 p.m. ET.

Kane has not played since June 10 of past twelvemonth erstwhile Edmonton mislaid 4-1 to the Florida Panthers successful Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.

Ten months later, the guardant said there's a "night and day" quality successful his health.

"I was ever precise assured that I'd beryllium backmost playing," Kane said aft Edmonton's greeting skate connected Wednesday. "Obviously I was unsure erstwhile that was going to happen. But looking guardant to tonight."

Over the past year, Kane had surgeries to repair some abductors, 2 hernias, 2 abdominal tears and a genu injury.

Returning to crippled signifier has been a agelong process.

"I was prepared for, obviously, missing a bully chunk of clip with the wounded I had, the country I had. So that wasn't unexpected," helium said. "But it's bully to consciousness strong, bully to consciousness healthy. And I'm looking guardant to getting connected the ice."

Kane was connected a enactment with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman astatine Wednesday's greeting skate and volition regenerate Jeff Skinner successful Edmonton's lineup.

"He'll beryllium talking, he'll beryllium chatting, bringing immoderate energy," Nugent-Hopkins said of his caller linemate. "And I cognize he'll beryllium excited to get retired determination tonight, truthful beryllium bully to person him connected the wing."

Klingberg draws backmost successful lineup

Edmonton volition besides marque a alteration connected defence for Wednesday's crippled arsenic John Klingberg returns to the lineup.

The 32-year-old Swedish blueliner has played conscionable 11 games since signing with the Oilers arsenic a escaped cause successful mid-January. He's registered 1 extremity and 3 assists for the team, and past appeared successful Edmonton's 6-1 nonaccomplishment to the Seattle Kraken connected March 27.

"He's been retired for respective weeks close now, but a feline that's had a agelong NHL career, a batch of playoff games," said Oilers caput manager Kris Knoblauch. "Especially if we're trailing successful a game, helium tin springiness america immoderate offence, but all-around situations, our six [defencemen] to beryllium playing a small spot more."

Klingberg played 63 playoff games implicit 5 post-seasons with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, contributing 8 goals and 39 points.

Kane had 4 goals and 8 points successful 20 post-season appearances for the Oilers past twelvemonth earlier helium was unopen down owed to the abdominal injury.

Knoblauch believes it volition instrumentality immoderate clip for the seasoned guardant to instrumentality to his afloat game, but said Kane looks amended present than helium did playing against the Panthers.

"He's skating better, he's moving better, his agility, each that stuff. He's much explosive," Knoblauch said.

"It's precise hard for a subordinate to travel backmost aft a agelong stretch, but I deliberation Evander has a small spot of an X factor. Obviously, he's going to beryllium physical, but helium tin inactive sprout a puck and tin score. So that's 2 precise important things to bash successful the playoffs close now. And hopefully there's not excessively overmuch rust."

Asked what the emotions were similar up of his return, Kane said helium felt "pretty mellow."

"It astir apt helps that we've played this squad 4 years successful a enactment [in the playoffs]," helium added. "So, it feels similar immoderate different game, playing the Kings successful this barn. I bask it. It's a amusive ambiance to play in.

"There mightiness beryllium a small nervousness, but thing that's going to interaction my crippled successful a antagonistic fashion."